Mighty Sword, Mightier Pen
May Justice Be With You Dawn had just broken on Takamagahara, and the sunlight began to trickle through the islands located in the sky. Unlike regular islands, the unusual position of these sky islands caused the light to refract in such a way that created an almost illusory effect. On one of the smaller, more distant islands that constituted Takamagahara, there was a small building, painted purely white with accents of navy blue dashing across it — a classic building created by the Marines. Coming out of the building was a man with stark white hair and dark green eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt this morning, despite the crisp winds causing the temperature to be quite cold, and only wore black tights for the sake of training. This was Quill Pencilio, who acted as the primary journalist for the Marines, and a direct subordinate under Kurama; a member of his Inner Circle, if you would. At barely 5am in the morning, Pencilio was performing his routine training in . As the disciple of a number of extraordinary Martial Artists, including Stella, Kurama and Sparrow Raizen himself, Pencilio was exposed to a number of different Martial Arts styles and principles. However, Quill Pencilio was different to everyone in the Inner Circle. These people possessed resolves and undertook Martial Arts in its purest form. Pencilio treated Martial Arts as an art form, or more precisely, a pen, to weave his words — his intention — to life. After taking a deep breath, Pencilio, without any warning, kicked the air with a perfectly straight kick. The freezing air howled and retreated in face of the might Pencilio displayed, while the training dummy before him had its head shattered from the force he exhibited. Pencilio was not done there, however. In seemingly the same motion, Pencilio's leg, while remaining entirely outstretched, shifted diagonally downward, upwards, and finally a straight horizontal line concluding the motion. Air pressure was left from the force of the movement, displaying a triangular shape created from the kicking technique. This was the Saigai Taijutsu that the Commodore prided himself in. A combination of , Bansho Yanagare-ryu and general Martial Arts principles, it should have theoretically been the ultimate form of Martial Arts. But of course, Pencilio was not so dull that he would possess a Martial Arts style without any form of flair. The triangular shape that Pencilio just created was merely the tip of the iceberg. Saigai Taijutsu, a Martial Arts that existed to paint the intention of Pencilio through the entirety of his body. All kicks, punches, and other movements all contributed to a piece of artwork, that Quill Pencilio intended to deliver to the world en-masse. "Hmm...I've been rusty. What do you think, Kurama-pen?" Pencilio asked the onlooker that he had noticed in the middle of his initial routine. Of course, if Pencilio had interrupted his routine to acknowledge the Fleet Admiral's presence, the Fleet Admiral would have kicked him off Takamagahara before he had time to react. "Oho?" Kurama mused, stepping onto the scene as part of his black kimono fluttered about in the gentle breeze. "Asking me for my thoughts, Quill? That doesn't happen very often." the Fleet Admiral answered, casually strolling along the training grounds as he took in the sights of the beautiful island in all its splendor, while also addressing his student-subordinate. "I would not say rusty. For it to be rusty, you would have had to lose something you once had. But you're still lacking that certain something." he would explain, hiding his hands into his sleeves as though he were giving off the presence of a wise old master. "Martial arts are a medium for expression, that is true for all people, no matter the style or era. It is even more so true for you, given that it is an extension of your art." Kurama would muse, pulling out a pot of tea from his sleeve along with a pair of miniature cups, an act which Quill was likely to respond with "where exactly did those come from, Kurama-pen?" in a suspicious tone but Kurama would likely have just waved the concern off. Placing the tea pot down at a stone table situated at the edges of the training area, he took a seat at one of the benches, slowly pouring some into both of the cups. "Your potential is beyond measure, Quill. Your talent, incomparable. But often times, it can be said that talent can be the enemy. When you're young and overflowing with natural ability, it is rare for one to be challenged. To feel that moment where everything that they are is challenged and that they must transcend if they are to survive. You live through life thinking you are at the top of a mountain, only to be blinded by the vast skies above that are unreachable because you never developed wings. Ultimately..." The Fleet Admiral placed the tea pot down, before looking back to Quill. "I'm sure, as an artist, you know that the beauty of an art piece can often mask something very important about it. Something critical. They might be beautiful and appealing to the eyes, but in truth, they are empty. Husks that carry nothing within them. The beauty of an art piece, the true beauty, is when one fills their heart into the piece. When those emotions are so powerful, it literally exudes off of the art. And that..." Kurama remarked, pointing his finger toward Quill. "...is what you still lack. Emotional content." "Hmmm..." Pencilio's motions had stopped in the middle of their path as Kurama began talking. It wasn't so much Pencilio alone that had stopped moving, but rather, his entire body knew to instinctively take heed of Kurama's advice. So, he retracted his leg from the air and instead took a seat next to Kurama, gratefully picking up one of the teacups with a bow. As Kurama continued to speak, Pencilio felt for the first time that the Fleet Admiral urged him to go out on his own and seek strength. "So, you're saying...something along the lines of what Raizen-penpai would have been feeling as he fought the "Queen of Hearts" Lieselotte?" As Pencilio took a sip of his tea he did realize that emotional weight was lost on him. He did not know the exact reason for it all...as an art piece, he was flawless. But he could not convey the same emotion as a broadcaster could, no matter the effort he put in. It always felt...hollow. During his reminiscence, a particular figure came to his mind. An individual that he once called a friend, who cut off his ties to the Marines and joined the ranks of the Yonko, Daikaku. But even at that event...it felt like, to Pencilio, it all had been inevitable. "I wonder...just why this is..." "You'll have to ask Raizen yourself about that, far be it for me to speak of another man's experiences..." Kurama proclaimed, sipping from his tea before resuming his words. "But if I were to make a guess, I think Raizen encountered something that few warriors are ever lucky enough to experience. Their 'wall'." the Fleet Admiral spoke, leaning back on his chair as he crossed his arms. "Call it one's limits that need to be broken, or a valley that must be crossed, or simply a wall that needs to be climbed... I think calling it a wall is the best way to describe it." Kurama smirked softly before continuing. "All people hide behind their own individual walls, whether they realize it or not. Sometimes out of fear of not being accepted, sometimes out of a fragile ego or confidence in themselves, or perhaps it's just a fear of failure. They always unconsciously hold themselves back because they are not faced with a situation that requires them to devote all of themselves. To simply say 'it's okay, I'll try again tomorrow' is a cute and adorable phrase for those who have never encountered a life or death situation, but nothing is gained from that sense of self-satisfaction. To believe 'I can just try tomorrow so it's okay to not try hard today' is what holds people back. Raizen's situation was exactly that. Either he would overcome the impossible, or die. He went into that fight knowing those were the only two roads permitted to him." he explained, his tone almost lowering into a solemn volume. "Now, don't get me wrong. I told Raizen to bring back-up with him. I even told him that he should bring Stella and Haruka with him. But he insisted on going alone, even if it meant he'd die. I can't say I can condone marines needlessly dying, people are a resource after all. And above all else, you, Raizen, and the others, are my family. As Haruka-san once told me, that's the meaning of an 'inner circle'. But as a warrior myself, I cannot help but admire the desire to face a situation where your only hope for survival is to overcome your wall." Kurama mused, before looking back at Quill. Getting up from his seat, he walked toward one of the various ponds that circled the perimeter, gesturing for Quill to follow him and speaking once more as they approached the water. "You see that down there?" Kurama gestured, referring to Quill's reflection in the water. "That's your toughest opponent. Every pirate you fight, every criminal you go up against, every opponent you face, that's who you're going up against. That is your 'wall'. To overcome your wall is to overcome the you of 'right now'. And you won't be able to do that with just training drills." the Fleet Admiral explained. ---- Two women sat in a rather large room which had four beds scattered around it. It could easily b considered a bunker or the living quarters for the Marines. Pictures were posted all across the room's walls. Some of the girl with pink hair sitting at the table and three other girls. "Sorry to come so abruptly, Lieutenant Commander Paris. However, it was now or never and best that we got this out of the way while Solomon is away." The red-hared woman, reached under the seat she sat on and pulled out a bag and plopped it onto the table. Paris was confused, she honestly had no idea what was going on, but with Roselia being in higher command, she chose to listen. "I'm sorry, Lady Roselia! I-I'm not too sure what you mean!" She responded nervously while staring at the bag Roselia placed on the table. Roselia and Paris were never able to speak in private before, so having a one on one conversation with the woman for the first time, caused a bit of hesitation. "It's fine, Paris." Roselia began to open the back and pulled out a plate. "I've been watching you progress over these past couple months. Preparing yourself for the big battle and the day you will meet Autumn again. I've seen your progress, Paris, it's been showing in your training regiments. But I hav-" The door to the room flung open and a young Marine boy step in the doorwar. "Miss. Roselia!" He shouted, "Come to Doge's recovering center as soon as you're finished here!" Without waiting for her to respond, he took off in the other direction. "Minerva's gotta' teach that kid some manners." Roselia hissed, proceeding on with her conversation with Paris. "But, as I was saying, Paris, I've been paying attention to your growth and I've noticed. To commerate your hard work, I want to give you something." Paris lifted her hands over the table and waving them in a no-like manner, "Oh no, no Miss Roselia! No need to give me a gift or anything. I-I don't deserve a gift or anything! Y-Your words are more than enough! Hone-" Roselia smashed her hand onto the table and punched straight through it, causing the lone plate and bagged item to jump up slightly. Lava hung around the circlular punch she creating, dripping to the ground. "I insist that you accept this, Paris! Please listen!" She shouted, reaching for the bag and pulling it down revealing a miniture beehive looking object. Freightened by Roselia' shouting and actions, Paris stiffened herself and keep her eyes focused on her surperior's actions. "I see what Solomon-sama is scared of her." She thought to herself, maintaining a forced smile. "I'm sorry to shout at you, but this means a lot to me and this was not an easy decision to make." Roselia rubbed across the side of the beehive and looked at it in awe. "This here, is a devil fruit. It's called the Hani Hani no Mi." Paris' eyes widened which was to be expected. "This is a devil fruit? I've never seen one up close, but they truly do come in all shapes and sizes." "The Hani Hani no Mi," Roselia continued on, "is a -type devil fruit. It allows the user to transform themselves into . A while ago I mentioned this was a hard decision to make because..." She stopped mid sentence as a tear rolled down her cheek like a critter crawling down a wall. "Because it once belongged to a comrade of mine! A very, very, close comrade of mine!" "Miss Roselia!" The Captain wiped her tear away, "In you, I see that same kind hearted nature, Honey once had. Your conviction and inability to give up on saving your friend Autumn has convinced me! What I'm trying to say is, I want to give you the Hani Hani no Mi! To help you get stronger and aid you in rescuing her!!" Roselia lifted the fruit out of the bag, as well as a fork, and placed the fruit on the table and cut a piece of it. "Wait, Miss Roselia! If it's sacred to you, I'd rather not accept it. I would not want to taint you former comrade!" Paris, gripped her fist. "I DON'T WANT YOU DISAPPOINT YOU!!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, but quickly wrapped her hands around her mouth once realizing what she had done. Roselia continued to cut a piece of the fruit and held it at the end of the fork. She then reached her arm across the table to hand Paris the fork. "You conviction alone has showed me your will not disappoint me!" "B-But M-Miss Rosel-" Cutting the girl off, Roselia stuck the fork into her mouth mid sentence and essentially "force fed" her the fruit. Choosing to not choke, Paris swallowed the fruit and gave back a sour face. "Hahaha," Roselia laughed. "I still find joy in seeing people's first time eating a devil fruit." Tears rushed down Paris' face as she shouted, "THANK YOU LADY ROSELIA!" The doors flung open with to the room once again and a dark-skinned girl with beautiful green hair walked through. "Hey captain!" The girl shouted, reaching her arm into the air, stretching out her navy blue leotard. "Bambina-sense would like a word with you!" "Oh, hey, Lamaria. Well aren't I famous today." Underworld Trees, Devil Fruits Naval Preperations It had reached about 10am on the same day that Pencilio was just talking to Kurama about himself. He found himself contemplating the words Kurama spoke, but tried to not let them distract him from his duties, of which he had aplenty. Among those duties was to tend to both of his assistants, Quill Susanna and Jenkins Paris. As he peered around the office, with photos and text strapped all across the walls, he couldn't find a single soul besides his younger sister Susanna. "Suzy. Do you know where Paris-pen is?" Quill asked, continuing to type away on his writing instrument. Suzy sat at her table, rifling through sizable stacks of paperwork. For an eleven-year-old, she worked harder than most adults. She owed her amazing work ethic to her older brother. She owed a lot of her habits to her brother, actually. The young girl looked up from the paper she had been perusing at her brother's voice. She looked around herself quizzically for a moment "Hrm...I could've sworn she was just here..." She shrugged her shoulders at Quill "It would seem I have lost Paris-pen, Pen-pen. Is she tagged? Should we be worried about her getting lost or hurt?" "Uh, hm...we are still in Takamagahara, so anyone breaching should be nearly impossible. I wonder if she's gotten lost. She is still new to the job. Either that or...someone is delaying her." Pencilio bumped up and down, left and right, and circled around the building. He still couldn't find her! It was an endless bother when someone was late, especially when said person is supposed to be Pencilio's assistant. "I'll leave you to keep this place organized, Suzy. I'll try to find Paris-pen." In the distance, you could hear footsteps. The frequent tapping of the shoes hitting the floor made it pretty evident that whoever had been coming, was in a bit of a rush. "S-Sorry!" a feminine voice shouted alongside the footsteps. As she came into view, the panic on her face was evident. It was Paris, the newly hired assistant of Pencilio. Droplets of sweat crawled down her temples as she rushed to Pencilio's side. "I-I'm sorry I'm late, Commodore Pencilio!" She shouted, "Lady Roselia wanted to have a word with me! S-She had something important she wanted to discuss and, and I lost track of time!" Paris bowed her head, "Forgive me!" "Oh, there you are. No problem, Paris-pen." Pencilio's anticipation seemingly whithered away, as he moved to his desk. "Mind bringing me the more recent Underworld documents? We need to read through them for today's report to the Rear Admirals and above ranks." As Pencilio requested those items, he began to take out a pen and paper, spinning the pen in multiple directions to gather concentration. Paris panicked. She nodded her head, "Y-yes sir!" Looking to her left and right, she truly didn't know what to grab. Pencilio's office was in so much of a mess, that it somehow appeared to be clean and to Pencilio, it was probably organized. Reaching to the nearest stack of vanilla folders, specifically, the one labeled "Underworld", she grabbed them and walked them over to Pen's table. Nearly tripping just steps before getting to his table, she shook frantically when she utilized his table to keep her balance up. Paris had a lot on her mind. From what Roselia told her, the reason Roselia had done it, and most recent achievement of giving up her ability to swim for the powers of a devil fruit. As a nervous girl already, this just made her stress even further and she didn't know what to do. "H-Here you go!" She placed the stack of documents onto his table and walked back a bit awaiting further orders. "If something is wrong, you can tell us, Paris-pen." Pencilio noted as he continued to sift through the files granted to him. "I know you are new to the position, and are probably wondering why I asked you specifically to be another assistant of mine. Not to mention, you are always somewhat nervous..." Pencilio realized that he was probably making Paris feel more uncomfortable as he spoke. Emotional connections were never particularly his forte. "Maybe Suzy might help you more than me. Um...I apologize if I made you feel bad." Pencilio stuttered awkwardly, trying to instead hone in on the remaining work he had. "Oh no no no!" Paris exclaimed, throwing her hand up into the air as if she were in a classroom. "I'm fine. I mean, there's nothing work pestering you about Pen-san! Today, t-today it's just my anxiety! Too much to take in. Then Lady Roselia, then devil fruits, it's just all gotten me so worked up!" Paris threw her hand over her mouth. "Please, sir! I can keep working as note-, oh! L-lady Roselia told me to pass something on to you." Paris reached into her pockets. She then began to pat her body frantically, but seemingly came up empty-handed. Had she lost it? "Um," she hesitated, reaching into her pocket once more. "It was pertaining to the U-underworld... Yeah! A trade between Yonko crews. Sorry Pen-san, I can't remember exactly who." "Hmmm. A trade between Yonko crew...this might be something we need to look into." Pencilio thought to himself, as he waited for Paris to bring out the item. "And, uh...okay. As long as you are alright, Paris-pen." Pencilio mentioned to her anxiety, although his only concern at the moment was Roselia's information. While Pencilio spoke to Paris, she continued to look for the paper and among the time managed to find it. Unfolding it with haste she looked at Pencilio. "Please, Pen-san, I'd like to read the information from the note, as it contains something sort of personal to myself." This was not the fact, however. Because Paris covered the note with the palm of her hand, the note was drenched in a sticky substance--honey. She didn't want Pencilio to know she had a devil fruit just yet and on top of that, she didn't want the man to know she had no control over it just yet. Without letting the man even respond, she began to read from it. "U-um, an unnamed member of the Monk Pirates and rookie pirate protected by the Titans, Dragon D. Dexter, plan on meeting for the purchase of what is reported to be a devil fruit." These were not the exact words on the note, but Paris felt it would be better to paraphrase it and save the man some time. "Take it Dexter is known to have been searching for the Ope Ope no Mi, this may be that. Even if it isn't, there are other possibilities..." "Um, Pen-san. Is this the young rappe-, I mean musician, Dexter? If so, how is he allowed to preform on islands with a 90,000,000 on his head?" "Stage names. Bribery. A lot of tomfoolery goes down in the musical industry." Pencilio stated blankly, as he listened to the news that Paris spoke of. While Paris reading the news herself didn't necessarily bother him, he did think something might be afoot, though he paid it no mind. "Anything that gets these people money is fair game. Until the world realizes what is going on, nothing will particularly change about the music industry. If you make an effort to not buy the music of Pirates, then perhaps they will no longer seek employment." Pencilio said, almost scornfully, "Nonetheless. We have to do something about this situation, especially if the Ope Ope no Mi is involved." "Y-yes sir!" Paris brought her hand to her forehead to salute. As she did she noticed a liquidy substance beginning to drop from it. Quickly dropping her hand back to her side, she face Pencilio once more. "W-wait, Pen-san. Would you like for me to extend our concerns out to Kurama-sama and co.? Considering the situation and all?" "Sweat...? No..." Pencilio thought to himself for a moment, before snapping out of it. "No, it is fine. Kurama-pen and the Vice Admiral-penpai's are all busy with the Xros Pirates' war. We will have to do something ourselves. Not to mention, I have connections to the Underworld, regardless..." "So, what should we do first, Pen-san?" Paris' voice changed a bit. The timid tone she once had, seemed to have slightly slipped away as she spoke with a little more confidence. "Lady Roselia spoke with haste and mentioned this with urgency. There was a reason she wanted me to ensure I relayed this message to you know." Paris looked at the ceiling with attempts of gathering her thoughts. "Oh! Pen-san! That deal, it's supposed to be happening in a couple of hours! Not too far from here, on a small deserted island called Roma. Fruitville Station Near the bay of Roma, the sound of an engine could be heard in the distance. A hooded figure rode the waves on what appeared to be a . He swung around the waves with haste, circling around the edges of Roma until he finally reached what used to be the docks. Pulling back on the handlebar and throttle, the front of the jetski lifted off the water. To someone who'd been watching him ride, they'd have thought it was the force of powerful winds out today, but it was all the figure's doing. What the winds did affect was the sea's current, as the being would soon find out. Looking behind him, he'd noticed a large wave towering behind him. With another tug at the handlebars, the jetski lifted off of the sea into the air and soared over the destroyed dock area. Pressing a button on the center of the mobile, he leaped off it and flipped in the air and so did the jetski. While the two flipped, the jetski would begin to change its entire form. First, it would sort of flatten itself. Then, from the bottom, two wheels of a bike would burst from the bottom. It's once bulky form, because slim. Something like this was only common in robots, no wait, transformers! It would begin to fall towards the ground and as it did, its form became whole. The jet ski had somehow managed to transform from a jet ski to some sort of two-wheeled motor vehicle. The hooded figured fell to the ground, but instead of planting his feet on the soil, he instead landed upon the motorbike. Stamping his butt onto the seat of it, the added weight cause it to forcefully land to the ground and there was when one would be able to see the vehicle in all its glory. The jet ski had managed to transform into a bike. The main body of the dirt bike was the exact same color as the jet ski, a bleached purple with gold trimming and all metal portions painted gold. On the front of the mask of the bike, was the image of a mohawked jolly roger. He pulled on the thruster of the back, spinning his wheels against the soil of the dock. He'd go on to continuously do this until his back wheel would begin to move wildly, forcing him to try a wrestle with the handlebars in attempts to keep the bike up. In the midst of doing this, the wind managed to remove his hood from his head, revealing a dark-skinned teen wearing a spiked mohawk hairstyle. Dragon D. Dexter was the name of this teen and today, he had a very important business to attend to. Lifting his left leg up to one of the foot rests, Dexter revealed writing along the side of the bike. "Law", was the name of Dexter's dirt bike. Underneath that largely written name, in small text was "Manufactured by Ships at Sea Inc." "It's been a while since I've been able to ride Law." Dexter scuffed, throwing his hood back over his head. "Considering I paid so much for it to be made by Benjamin himself, I should ride dis' damn thing more. But to be honest," he pulled on the thruster once more reving the engine and allowing the back wheel to flail once again, "at over three hundred million berri, it should ride its fuckin' self." Pulling on the thruster one last time, Dexter shot forth down the path. "But something more important is happening today..." ---- In the depts of Roma's underground train station, a group of men stood. Not every one of them was known, but there were quite a few faces that seemed to stand out. One, in particular, was a man of tan skin and short messy hair, his most noticeable trait was the scar on the side of his face. Scarface was his name or at least the name he was known by in the . Each man and woman here sat in front of a single large desk, which nearly filled an entire side of the subway. Scarface eyed each of the individuals there, but his gaze seemed to have been stuck on the small child at the other end of the table. She wore a large jacket with a hood that had bear ears attached to it. "Is she, really here alone?" He glanced to her left and right but saw no one standing there. He knew every person here had a trade they'd been here to perform, but he just couldn't wrap his finger around what that little girl had to offer. What he did know, was that the girl's name was Gia. Slouching back in his chair and pressing his fist against his cheek, Scarface loosened up a bit. Honestly, he shouldn't have been worrying about what everyone else was doing. Today would be the day he'd revolutionize the world. "AHH I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER!" One of the brokers shouted. "Until we wait for our purchasers to get here, how about we go ahead and share what we have." Reaching to his side, the man placed a devil fruit onto the table. "My name is Gerald! This here, is an artificial devil fruit my people of tha' Yaju Tribe are working on. We call it the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Indominus Rex! The possibilities of this fruit are end-" Before he could finish, his forehead had a hole in the center of it. The entire group looked at the man as his body fell backwards. "There were specific rules given to each of you, right? The main being no exposure of items until the first buyer appeared." Scarface held a pistol out in front of himself, extending it across the table aiming where the man once stood. "Now that we've gotten that understood. We can wait." The shadow from Scarface's arm stretched across the table, grabbing ahold of the devil fruit's shadow and would then be pulled towards the man. "Hazezezeze...As brutal as always, aren't you...Scarface~?" A cheeky laugh came from another side of the same table. He stared at Scarface in the eye, unwilling to give an inch to the supposedly superior party. "But hey, I like it! Never giving even a moment's reprieve, and not allowing anyone to shift under your rules. It's amusing, hazezeze...Although, after a while...isn't it a little boring~?" The confrontational man in the room wore spectacles and had a head of black, and partially white hair. Identified by the title "Four-Eyes", he was an informant who worked for the Monk Pirates within the Underworld, acting on numerous transactions for their behalf when "Payback" Parker was not able to. Today, it was his turn to do a bit of wheeling and dealing, and he relished in the opportunity, as he eyed the rest of his competition keenly. Turning his head, Scarface locked eyes onto the man wearing glasses on the opposite side of the table. "That's how it has to be, Specky." He responded, calling the man by one of his many glasses-based aliases. "I've been lowkey for a while. A buyer and a seller in the Underworld for years. I'm taking a seat at the throne this yea-no-today." Scarface looked across the table at various different individuals, "And to anyone who has a problem..." Pulling his pistol from under the table, he placed it on top of it in front of himself. His cuban accent had finally began to kick in. Flicking the bottom of his chin, he went on. "I'll blow their fuckin' brain from their skull." A painted black nail tapped against the table gently, if a little impatiently. The woman known simply as [[Lugh Sophia|'Hera']] in the underworld had not come here to listen to threats from would-be gangsters or to sit and idle. She was here on business, and would much rather get to it than dawdle any more than they already had. If she didn't have perfect control over her own emotions, she knew she would begin to feel a spark of irritation in her gut, but Hera was calm and impassive as ever. She cleared her throat softly to get the attention of the man that had so brazenly threatened everyone at the table "I'm sure that any objection to how you've decided to run this meeting has been sufficiently quelled. But since everyone is here, it should be about time to bring out our buyers no?" Scarface heeded Hera's words and gave a slight nod. The entrance of the subway was opened up by a man dressed in an all red suit and tie. Through the doors, a wave of people walked strutted in. Each person different from the other. Some seemed to be relatively normal, while others seemed... weird. With his index and middle finger attached together, Scarface wagged them in a "come here"-like motion, towards a dark-skinned man wearing a pair of black shades. The man stepped forward, walking through the opening of the table to stand in the middle of the group. While his eyes couldn't be seen through the shades, the direction of his face made it clear he'd been staring at Scarface. "Harry," Scarface called the man's name. He opened his arms out as though he wanted a hug, "Come here, my favorite customer. Don't act so distant. Bring it in." Hesitant, Harry stood still for a second. Leaning his head back, he brought his hand to his neck and began to scratch it repeatedly. Inching closer to Scarface, Harry leaned over landing into Scarface's arms. Gripping the back of Harry's nearly bald head, he placed the elder man's head onto his shoulder, "I have something special for you, Harry." The bodyguard standing behind Scarface placed a suitcase on the table. Releasing Harry from his grip, he instructed the man to go back to the center of the room. "Today's line is on the house, no need to pay." Scarface stated. Continuing to scratch his neck and now twitching, Harry finally spoke. "Ya means it, Sir?! Oh, oh, you don't have to do that fa' me sir! I-Is can pay the fee sir. Yous already give mes a discount." "Harry, come on. Don't make me beg you to take it." Opening the suitcase, Scarface pulled out a small clear back with some sort of white powder in it. Throwing it at Harry, "Catch... Help me show these people." Hands held out, Harry caught the package and opened it. "Thanks ya, sir!" Sticking his finger in the bag he scooped some of the powder. Now placing his power tipped finger into his mouth, with the way his mouth move it would seem as though he'd been sucking on his finger. Leaning back into his same position earlier, resting his fist against his cheek he began to speak. "What you are about to witness, are the effects of a drug my team has been developing called Herona." Scarface eyed Harry for a moment, watching as the man began to suddenly smile. His mouth was one of the ugliest. His gums were rotten and were only home to 4 of his teeth. "If you would so kindly begin the demonstration, Harry." He requested. Harry leaped into the air, his jump was well beyond that of any normal human. Granted this subway was DEEPLY underground, he managed to not hit a barrier or a ceiling. As Harry landed to the ground, he would ball if hist and punch it, creating a dent in the ground with just his fist. "With Herona, Harry is no longer your average man.. or well, in his case, grandpa. Agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction time beyond that of natural phenomenon. Herona is a representation and pinnacle of human physical perfection. And even gets you a little high." Scarface smirked. "Thank you Harry, that's enou-" A high pitched voice could be heard, "Four packages this way, please. 50,000 each right?" This voice belonged to Gia. Reaching to her back, she pulled off her backpack and slid it across the table. " 200,000 in there, probably a bit more." Despite the lack of facial expression change, Scarface was truly surprised. With a simple hand gesture, the bodyguard standing behind him grabbed the bag and looked through it. "It's good boss." He whispered to Scarface, reaching into the briefcase and sliding four packages of Herona across to Gia. "BOSS!" A man shouted followed by a screeching grunt, as the man in the red suit near the entrance fell down to his knee, then finally to his stomach. The guard behind Scarface stepped forward, he was ready to go to his comrade's side, but Scarface's halting hand. Through the subway's entrance emerged a hooded boy, dragging the tip of his blade across the cemeted ground. "A'ight," The boy stated, pulling his hood from his head. "Next time y'all organize somethin' like this. Don't put a fuckin' meathead as the guard." Drawing his sword to his shoulder, Dexter rested to blade over it. "Popstar that be me, Man-Slaying Dexter D!" He threw his free hand into the air the, making some sort of hand sign. "Sorry I had to cut him down, he wouldn't let me in. Somethin' 'bout me being late. Dexter can't be late, he is the show. Now..." In a single flipping motioned, he sheathed his blade cleaving be hind a sither of a sound as he did. "Which one of y'all is that god sent man, Four-Eyes?" "Hooo? What's this, what's this? Someone's breaking your rules, Scarface~ What are you doing to do, hm~?" Four-Eyes, the audacious man in the group mentioned. And then he noticed that the man had asked for him. His four eyes, or rather, the four bells tied to his hair, shot up instantly. Looking towards the client, he trailed his body up and down, smirking as he did so. "Dexter, eh~? Yessir, Four-Eyes is me!! Although..." Four-Eyes made a malicious, albeit humorous, look towards the boss of this table. "So, Boss...are you going to let this musical genius break the rules of your table~? Because I'm perfectly content to sell...Of course, if the Mad Monk gets to know one of his dealings has been interrupted...I'm not sure how he'll take it~ Hazezezeze!" This man, whose audacity in the face of all these opponents, wasn't exactly unfounded. He was a personal for the Monk Pirates, and although known as Four-Eyes in the Underworld, his true name is Hazen Nazar: a former member of the dangerous . “He broke no rule.” Scarface’s responded, “But he did strike down one of my men.” Releasing a silent sigh, Scarface grabbed his pistol and stood from his seat. Gazing past Nazar, Gia, and Sophia—three of the only named brokers in the room-he approached his assaulted man. Without another breath, Scarface aimed and pulled his trigger in a single motion shooting his own man and sending him to an early grave. Squatting near his body, Scarface grabbed him by the cheek with the same hand his pistol rested in. “We don’t get cut down by some FUCKIN’ musician.” His Cuban accent as heavy as ever, smacking his free hand against the dead man’s cheek. Standing back up, he began to head back to his seat. “Raul, clean him the fuck up. You, Dexter, center of the table. Hurry the fuck up.” Dexter stepped forward and removed the backpack from his back. “I’ll allow your disrespect this one time. Had I not been here to speak with god himself, I’d have cut you to ribbons. Keep that in mind, dumb ass. Now, Four-Eyes,” he called out, throwing the bag onto the table. “Everything is in there. It ain’t a berri missing or extra, 5,000,000,000 in the largest bills possible.” "Hazezezeze! You never cease to entertain, Scarface~!" Nazar mentioned without a qualm in the world. He clapped a few times, and looked keenly at the bloody mess that Scarface had made of his own man. He may have been laughing, but internally, he was quite impressed. To keep such a rowdy crowd in line required such single-minded thoughts. The unwavering ability to kill in a single breath wasn't possessed by everyone. " 5,000,000,000 was it..?" Four-Eyes grinned as he repeated the figure, no doubt causing the rest of the suitors to become pindrop silent. Just what in the world was worth the amount of money that Dexter would be paying up. "Hey, Dexter-san~ Do you want to explain to the rest of these Brokers just what you're buying with this money? Of course, I don't mind keeping it a secret~" Dexter’s once smiling face, swiftly became a frown. “Hey, Four-Eyes, I said you’re god sent. Don’t push it,” But even saying that, Dexter could not hold back from feeding into what the man had requested of him. After all, it was something he waited half of life for. “The !” He shouted, releasing electrical currents from his body. “The mightiest and most powerful fruit to exist in the seas! It’s here. It’s in this very subway!” Dexter gulped the air, “Had I know it were in the hands of the Monk Pirates, I would’ve join when that damn cross-dresser asked. Now...” Dexter’s posture changed. His back straight, his head was forward, and his expression was much darker. “Where is it.” The various brokers around gasped at Dexter's most recent claim. They couldn't believe the words that had just fallen from the boy's tongue and some even refused to believe it. What he just stated was very controversial. The Ope Ope no Mi, the Ultimate Devil Fruit? One of the brokers elbow the man next to him, "Hey, do you believe that?" "Ain't no way yer' gonna' get '' Scarface had a sudden flash. Even he couldn’t remain calm with the recent claim Dexter just made. His facial expression gave away exactly how he felt about the current situation. He just truly could not grasp what was going on. “Four-Eyes, is it true? The one capable of granting some “Eternal Youth”. Is that fruit really here? Did the Monk Pirates really manage to get their hands on it?” Scarface handed out question after question and he really wanted answers. To put it frankly, the man was on edge. Gia, on the other hand, sat uneasily. She bit her bottom lip and began to think to herself, “Is that fruit really here? There’s no way the “Big Boss” wouldn’t know about this.” She straightened herself and fixed her expressions, as a silhouette of a spiky-haired man flashed through her mind. Her high pitched voice spoke once again, “I wanna’ know too.” "You think I'd lie on false information." Dexter held his hands out to his side and cuffed them in a maniacal manner. "With the Ope Ope no Mi, Imma' be one step closer to my goal." Leaning his head back to the ceiling Dexter began to laugh, "HAHACKCKCKCKCK!" He took a breath, "Yeah, with the Ope Ope no Mi... That bullshit of becoming the great swordsman goes out the window!" "I'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO RAFTEL, THE ISLAND WHERE THE ONE PIECE IS HIDDEN AND PERFORM MY GREATEST, NO, WACKIEST SHOW EVER! IT'LL GO DOWN IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, I'LL BE KNOWN SIMPLY AS THE GREATEST PREFORMER TO EVER LIVE!!!!" "Now, where is it Four Eyes." Unlike the rest of the people at the table, Sophia didn't give any reaction to Four-Eye's words. She simply turned a very intent gaze on him. No one here would know of her Devil Fruit's powers, so they wouldn't be able to discern the reason behind the kaleidoscope of color her eyes had become. It was simple: she was using her power to read Nazar's emotions. Truthfulness, she found, was a strange form of "joy". Or at least it was a similar shade of green. Depending on what the person was telling the truth about, it would be tinged with a different color around the edge. Nazar's aura shifted from a light indigo to a soft pink, back and forth. The combination told Sophia that he was lying through his teeth. But, she found the display to be somewhat amusing. She looked around and found that most people were feeling the same things: awe, anxious excitement, envy and some even a hint of fear. How they could stir themselves into a tizzy without even seeing the thing almost made her want to smile. Almost. "Yes, where is the legendary fruit? Let us all see it." She wondered how the male would react when he found out the fruit he was buying wasn't the genuine article. It would definitely amount to a show. Watching the entire spectacle that had just occurred with half-closed eyes was Jin. While he wasn't as renowned as the other Brokers due to his recent introduction to the market, he was still a good seller, or at least that's what he thought. Jin crossed his legs, his gaze moving from the various individuals gathered there. Including the loud pirate that sought the Ope Ope no Mi. "Fuck me, man." Jin turned to a man near him who appeared to be scared to his very core. "I don't mean that literally, I just wanted to sell my shit then leave, know what I mean? Don't care about all these things," he added before the man moved his seat away. Although he didn't want to wind up in the mess he knew would disinvolve, he couldn't help but be intrigued about the Devil Fruit. For him, this was like watching free, live, theater and because of that a grin formed on his face as he waited for Scarface's response. "Did you hear that, Father?" A boyish voice came from inside the coat of a man walking aimlessly in the subway station. The man in question was Madara, an underworld broker that was almost a living rumour due to his ghost influence over his subordinates that represented his will in almost all of his deals. But, from time to time, he appeared to watch and get surprised by his fellow underworld "partners". And, for his luck, it was a great day to leave the ship. "Well, of course I did." Madara touched the tip of his hat. "Don't you find it excitingly exciting?" He smirked. "Sh-should I be, Father?" The voice seemed a little nervous. "Yes, yes. It'll be a great way to show you how big of a mess can a deal turn into. Shall we take a seat?" He just moved before an answer, looking for the nearest place that he could rest and listen to the conversation before intervening in any way. "Okay...Alright!" said a man as he slammed the table with his hand and proceeded to speak loudly from his chair. "I've been sitting quietly so far, but I have to say, what a spectacle this has been!" "Fufufuf" He drew closer to the table, "I didn't expect the big league deals to be so entertaining. But please, people, let's lower the tension in the room. Everyone got on edge ever since the Ope Ope no mi was spat out this guy's mouth." The distinctive golden cross dangled from his neck as he boldly spoke aloud and pointed to Dexter. The person now drawing attention was one of the newer players in the Underworld, Wung Juno. "You know" said Juno as he directed his soulless gaze to Dexter, "you really do have quite the stage presence, my father would definitely hate your guts. That being said, I'm eager to see what you'll have in store for the rest of this show, god bless your soul." Kissing the cross he had as a necklace, Juno once again leaned back on his chair, crossing his legs with a smirk on his face. "My my, so much skepticism for a single fruit~? Hazezezeze..." Nazar relished in the questions, and was delighted in the ''anxiety. "Come now, doubting a Yonko's ability to scavenge for a single fruit is a bit too pessimistic, isn't it? You're all starting to sound like old people! Hazezeze!" "Anyways, Dexter-san." Nazar's voice, finally, caught a hint of seriousness to it. The bigshots of the Underworld were watching. Any mishaps in this situation and he might be in a tricky situation, "What intimidating faces...but maybe I should watch my tongue~ Or..." Nazar thought to himself, opening the bag, which was full, to the depths, of berries upon berries. He took a single stack, and began to count them at rapid speeds, finishing a stack within a second, and moving onto the next. Without even looking at the stacks, his gaze laid upon Dexter again, "Before I give you the fruit, I would like to count all of this money before me~ Of course, a musician like yourself won't be dishonest, right? Hazezeze!" As Nazar cheekily laughed once again, his fox-like eyes landed squarely on Scarface. "Say, Scarface~ I am sure that one of your rules is that theft of another buyer's merchandise is strictly prohibited, yes?" Scarface glared at Nazar, but he knew he had to answer the question so that the others were aware of the rules. Cautious measures in case anyone felt froggy. "Theft of another buyer's merchandise is death by action." A moment's silent echoed through the room. The tension was reaching its boiling point. "OF COURSE IT IS~! HAZEZEZEZE!" Nazar exclaimed in glee as he finished counting all of the stacks of money before him. "Yep, that stack is quite legitimate, Dexter-san. Right to the berry. So, I'll show you the fruit now~!" Nazar said delightfully, as he took out a briefcase of his own. It was an ornate red briefcase. Before he did anything, Nazar unlocked the code onto the briefcase. Click, click, click. Three clicks in sequence, before the briefcase had been unlocked. He had turned it out, facing it towards Dexter, and finally...he opened it. It was a red and white fruit, carved into the shape of a heart, with a green step pointed at the top. This...was the Ultimate Devil Fruit, an item that shook the very world...the ! "So...what do you all think~?" Dexter, for a moment, was stun shocked. His movements and his breathing were both halted. It was as if he were bound by the paralysis effects of an electrical move, or if he had heard disturbing news. In this situation, however, that was not the case. Lost in thoughts, fantasy, and other things that could sway the teen, Dexter lifted his hands and began to inch closer to Nazar. "There it is," he claimed, stepping closer and closer to Nazar's side of the table. "It's heart-shaped design." he uttered inching even further. "Wait!" Shouted one of the brokers. Out in front of him were three devil fruits, each different in both color and shape. Pushing the three devil fruits. "I have something that may interest you!" Pointing to the black fruit on the left, he asked, "Why settle with a measly Paramecia?! Huh, why not take a chunk out of the greatness of a logia. This here is the Inku Inku no Mi, a devil fruit that allows the user to control and turn into . Or wait..." he stated pulling forth the fruit in the middle. "What about an Ancient Zoan? This fruit is said to turn the eater into the almighty and powerful ; one of the only known dinosaurs to possess feathers. It's called the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Yutyrannus." The man gripped the air, huffing and puffing as though he had been short on breath. "Or, if Paramecia are what you're looking for I have this!" He pulled the last fruit forth. "The Jiba Jiba no Mi, a devil fruit said to turn you into a literal kitchen. It's a sacred fruit, supposed passed down throughout generations of the Wavecro Kingdom. If memory serves me right you ca-" A gunshot was fire and suddenly the broker flipped over in his chair. Gripping his shoulder in pain as the blood leaked down his torso and through his clothes, he kicked his legs about in a flailing manner. "Fuck!" He screamed in agony. "Damn you, Scarface! We've all gotta make sales too!" Smashing his hand onto the table, Scarface shouted. "OFFER A GOOD WHILE A PURCHASER HAS YET TO FULL RECIEVE HIS OR HER PRODUCT, IS AGAINST MY RULES." Relaxing once more, he pulled on the collar of his sweater. "It's basically stealing a customer. Be grateful I ain't kill you." Dexter somehow managed to remain completely unphased by this. Pushing forward, Dexter would suddenly appear directly in front of Nazar. Unconscious use of his Shadow Stitch, which was just using a sudden burst of acceleration to move in the designated direction. Snagging the Ope Ope no Mi from Nazar's hand, he stood surveyed it for just a second then stuffed the fruit into his mouth. With a mouthful, he walked back to the center of the room. "FFFFFINAL-FUCKIN'-LY!" He screamed, despite his mouthful, he managed to somehow say his words easily. A big gulp and he swallow the fruit whole. Drool dripped form his smiling lips as he laned back to look up at the ceiling of the subway. Gia was quiet for the most part, she watched everything unfold in order. From Dexter stepping forward to the Broker getting shot, then to Dexter eating the fruit without the need of chew. "I thought Devil Fruits tasted like crap!" He exclaimed, confused as evident by her facial expression. "This kid is unreal." "It ended quicker than expected, yes, but you can get a hold of how a deal works... or was supposed to." Madara was watching the whole scene, from the gunshot to the trade, and even before. He didn't have the will to interfere in the business of others right now and acted solely as an expectator. "Yes, Father, but... doesn't it look weird? I mean, that was too easy of a deal for such an item." The voice coming from inside of his coat seemed concerned, and it was right. By Madara's perspective and experience, bringing an item of importance such as the Devil Fruit mentioned to a place like this was out of question. There was no guarantee of the trade and it could bring harm to the broker and the buyer, from theft to death. Two options crossed his minded at the moment: the broker was mad or the deal was a scam. From the reaction of the man eating it, the later was more plausible. "Let's see how this turns out." Madara said, crossing his legs as he rested his head on his hand, sitting in an ordinary wooden chair. "Interesting", said Juno to the broker beside him. "I'd expect no less from a Yonko to get is hands on such a valuable item." Now, let's see how these people, no, how the world responds to this unexpected development!. ''As Juno thought this, a devilish grin covered his face, almost struggling to contain his excitement for the chaos that was sure to follow. "But still", once again Juno spoke, his grin changed to a serious and intense look, and spoke so quietly only he could listen, "This deal was way to good and easy, something about it bothers me a bit." The boy's aura was practically an aurora borealis of colors. Shades of green and orange and violet swirled within each other as he stared at the fruit, only intensifying as he swallowed it whole. So intent was Sophia in her examination of Dexter in this moment, she didn't even notice when the man was shot. It was a guilty pleasure of hers, watching people. Studying their emotions, watching them shift and change like the tide or the seasons was among one of the most fascinating things she had ever seen. Drastic changes were the best, she found. And Dexter's would be drastic indeed when he found the fruit he had consumed was not the one he sought ''"He'll make such a pretty rainbow of color..." On the other hand, Jin was silent. Not because he didn't have anything to say but rather he didn't know where to start. "Well, I'm glad that guy learned his lesson, poor fuck didn't know the rules" He looked at the harmed broker, not with remorse, or guilt but similarly to how one would look at a fly or a bug. When he witnessed the young man swallow the Devil Fruit whole, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I wish the girls from the tavern learned how to swallow like that guy does." Once again, he nudged the man next to him, but he was no longer there. Sitting next to Jin, caused levels of embarrassment that could definitely be lethal. "On the real though, It'd be pretty funny if he tried fighting one of us but couldn't activate his powers". He covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud, had nobody seen how Jin looked, the assumption that the laughter came from an old lady could be made. "Hazezezeze! HAZEZEZEZE!" Nazar roared in laughter, as his eery voice was heard even outside of the room of dealers. "I'm glad you enjoyed your meal, Dexter-san! Please have fun with the Ultimate Devil Fruit, for it has made you the enemy of the whole Underworld! Hazezezeze!!" Nazar continued to roar, until suddenly, his voice quietened a little. He now addressed the rest of the Underworld that sought to interrupt his deal. "The lot of you...aren't you in the least bit ashamed?" A voice of surprising seriousness came from Nazar's end. "If you're really Brokers of the Underworld...don't use such straight-handed methods to get what you desire~! Chaos and violence is your weapon! Use it wisely! Create mass murder if you need to!! You deal in the Underworld, where the only law is decided by who the strongest is! I denounce all of you...as absolutely boring!" "Hazezezeze! Let's see just how much the world above will change from this deal, shall we!?" Scarface lifted himself up to the table. He took his attention off of the center of the room for a moment and locked his eyes directly onto Nazar. Under his palm, his pistol rested on the table, waiting to please his itching trigger finger. To keep it rather simple, Scarface had begun to grow rather irritated of Nazar. Each time his mouth opened, it was a sly remark or question to Scarface... almost as if he were playing him. "Tha' fuck're ya' on abo-" The Broker would find himself cutting his sentence short, after feeling a sudden quake of the underground subway they were in. "Lyin' pira!" Dexter's body suddenly became shrouded by a sheet of violent lightning. The iris of his eyes had completely changed. Rather than symmetrical circles, that's seemingly transformed into thin, sharp-pointed lines. "This," he stated, as a bolt of lightning striked the ground near him and shook the subway again. "This ain't the fuckin' name of this fruit. It's called the Zon Zon no Mi!" Dexter held his hand out to his side and snapped his fingers together. "ZONE!" He shouted, unleashing a slight breeze of wind which could be felt by every member of the gathering, but it was nothing serious. Dexter began to glare at the laughing Nazar and as he did, a frown formed onto his face shopping his teeth that had seemingly grown into fangs at the man. He shared a few of the same physical features as a . "Imma' make sure you die." Scarface quickly turned his view back to Nazar as well, but this time he had his pistol in hand. With a single movement, he pulled down on the trigger and fired off a shot at Nazar, aiming the gun at the center of the man's face. The bullet traveled down the barrel at great speeds and once it left the gun's grasp, it would suddenly burst into flames. "YOU WANNA' MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME AT MY OWN FUCKIN' DEAL?!" Pen Raid Party A number of individuals, cloaked in dark cloaks in order to camouflage with their environment, were monitoring the entirety of the room that the Brokers and buyers were in from above. They had managed to bypass the security through their skills and had observed the nature of the dealings that occurred. One of them, who lifted his cloak away from his head, was revealed to be Quill Pencilio, who was the man that had initiated this operation. "...To think, someone would be in possession of the Ope Ope no Mi...However, something does not feel right about this whole thing. A fruit like the Ope Ope no Mi could not be present here, of all places...could it, Stella-penpai?" Quill asked a question to his superior, who would be unveiled as Stella, an within the Marines. As another figure removed the cloak from their head, this one revealed herself to be a young woman to whom Quill was addressing as Stella. She was a woman of elegant beauty which contrasted her chillingly crude demeanor, a braid of strawberry hair draping along her shoulder as the other side had a petite bang framing her porcelain cheek, as her body, shrouded in the black cloak, concealed a relatively curvy figure. "Pen-kun, surely I don't need to be the one to remind you things are never as they seem." she responded with a composed tone of voice, her hawk-like eyes scanning the dealings below from where they were concealing themselves. "Steel your mind. A misstep here is all it'll take to get every disgusting savage in this room on our asses." she answered. The third of the cloaked figures, left her cloak over her hand for a while longer and also decided to remain to herself a little bit more. "W-why'd Pen-kun want me to tag along? He already has Stella-chan here. Maybe I shouldn't have offered to come and he wouldn't have agre-" A ''smack caused the girl to stop in the middle of her thoughts, and would also knock the cloak from her head, revealing the flustered face of Paris. This was the traveling hand of Stella, the woman standing right next to her. "Better to receive a harmless slap from me than for your ass to get clapped by those scoundrels down below. You'll be in a whorehouse faster than you can say 'please wear protection'." Stella words inscribed themselves into Paris' mind. The pink-haired girl, while her faces were red as could be, shook her head violently in agreement to Stella's words. "Stella-chan's right! When we walk in there, our lives will be on the table! I can't be whiney. I'll get stronger!" She shouted in her psyche because to be quite honest, she was afraid of how the other Marines would take her resolve. The weirdest of the cloaked figures, moreso the largest, flipped their hood as well, revealing a... pig. Not surprisingly, it was Magne, another member of the Inner Circle and their famed cook, known for his unorthodox cooking methods. He faced Quill and his right ear rolled into itself, the rolled bit shook a bit, "Yes," Then it pressed against Magne's chest, shook, and rose by the side of his forehead, "I don't understand either." Indeed, through his exquisite control of his own body through Life Return, Magne could pretty much talk through signals. Sighing at how many minutes had passed since they were there, Magne utilizied of his ears yet again, his right one spun and touched his left one, while his eyebrows went down. "When will..." Both ears pointed at a spot and at another by the side, they were brough together and the right one slided against the left one, "they end this?" "Soon enough, Magne-penpai. Soon enough..." Pencilio reassured his comrade, before the mysterious Devil Fruit came into view. Pence's eyes widened at the appearance. "This...this matches the records...albeit, with slight differences. What is that white color..?" Pence realized the situation turned grim, as an outburst occurred within the meeting room they could not fully hear from the rooftop. "We have to act now! While they are still confused by Dexter's actions!" Pence said aloud, hoping to rile his comrades into action. "YES SIR!" Paris shouted WITH a great amount of confidence behind those words thanks to Stella's pep-smack. Throwing her hands out in front of herself, she balled her fist and aimed it directly for the door that stood in their way. With a great amount of concentration, Paris transformed her hand into honey form, courtesy of her Hani Hani no Mi and gripped her wrist. "Shigan: Hani Tehō!" Splitting from her wrist, her Hani hand hand grown in size smashing against the large doors and knocking them clean off of their hinges. Paris suddenly stopped, she hesitated because even she knew she'd been going well beyond her orders. Looking to the others she apologized. "I'm sorry Pen-kun, Stella-chan, Magne-pig!" Underworld Spilling Over The fiery bullet sought to make its way to Nazar's face, but the Underworld agent wouldn't allow his end to be that boring. Within the same instant the bullet was shot, Nazar raised his right hand, which had been on the side where Scarface's bullet came from. Within the minute amount of time granted to him, darkness encroached Four-Eyes' palm, and subsequently, his muscles tightened exponentially. It was a combination of and , a Rokushiki technique. The end result was a blackened arm that reflected the world around it superbly, while awaiting for the bullet to make contact. As soon as the bullet and hand collided, the flames that surrounded it burst outward. However, not a single dent was made in the perfected steel body of Four-Eyes. The flames, for a moment, took the shape of a flower, before lightly passing through his body as the bullet dropped to the ground. "HAZEZEZEZEZE!" Nazar's laughed echoed throughout the room and beyond. Within just an instant, the order of this room was transformed into chaos, all because Nazar thought it would be amusing to grant his client a false Devil Fruit. "Come now, Scarface! You did not let us reveal our merchandise before our customers came in! You can't fault a man trying to make some extra berries!" Refusing to even glance at Dexter's form, Nazar slyly mentioned, "No refunds, unfortunately, Dexter-san! Unless...you're willing to give me your life~?! HAZEZEZE!" Nazar roared. The top brass of the Underworld were, at this moment, all staring him down for his life. The thrill was immeasurable! Growling at Nazar with his fangs barred, Dexter kept his attention locked onto the man of many tricks. From his point of view, Dexter had nothing to state, it was as if his mind and body had been taken over by a third party source. Yet, the only thing that he saw was Nazar. But what was for certain, Dexter wanted Nazar dead. Scarface watched Nazar cancel his bullet, gripping his pistol once more, Scarface hesitated on his actions. He could sense something coming and he was right. The doors of the subway came crashing down, flying down the path of the railway. A simple glance allowed him to make out just who had been entering this time. He didn't know their faces but by their uniform, he instantly picked them out to be Marines. Before tending to any of them, Scarface smashed the bottom of his pistol into his palm and changed its aim off of Nazar and instead to Dexter. Pulling the trigger, Scarface shot a bullet at the boy and just before it would come into contact with him, a shadowy aura would burst from the bullet surrounding covering him. In the next moment, the aura began to sink into the ground as well as Dexter who'd managed to disappear after Scarface's most recent actions. "Damn, this ain't good." Sophia contemplated just leaving at this point. Whatever information could be found here wasn't worth the hassle of sitting through Four-Eyes' antics or Scarface's temperament. Even if she did enjoy watching the dazzling display of emotions before her. Before she could make any move to exit, the doors were blown wide and marines poured in "Oh good" she sighed softly to herself "Oh what luck that this meeting would get raided..." She pushed her chair back and stood, stretching her limbs and twisting her spine to work out the stiffness from sitting. "I guess what they say is true. Misery loves company." Her hair began to softly bleed from its usual teal shade into a deep red, her irises going through a similar change. Sophia, usually cut off from her emotions, let pure rage flow through her. Marines always looked for a fight in these circumstances, so she would no doubt have to cut down a few of them to make her escape "What a joy this day is turning out to be." Gia, who managed to speak only when the finest of things happened, spread her lips to speak again. Her squeaky high-pitched voiced could be heard all across the room as her eyes laid rest on the entering Marine platoon. Shifting between each of the Marines present, her eyes seemed to have planted themselves on the only male of the group--Commodore Quill Pencilio. Cursing under her breath, she sunk into her seat a little. "Zero didn't say anything about Marines showing up. Buying Herona and getting that Dexter brat out of here, were the only things he mentioned." Still eyeing Pencilio, she went on. "And to think they'd send the Newshound Pencilio. I'd better get out of here before shit get's worse." Wasting no time and lifting from her seat, she began rushing toward the wall with her backpack in hand. Once there, Gia effectively "phased" through the wall as though she were some sort of ghost. This was done through the powers of her Michi Michi no Mi, a devil fruit that allowed her to create paths between destinations. With the sight of Marines entering the place, Madara got up from his chair. Moving his hat slighly to the front, he covered his face partially with its shadow, smirking as he realized the type of situation he was in. "Choza" He said, in which the voice inside of his coat quickly answered. "Yes, Father?" "Leave this place and find Soubi. He'll know how to take me out of here if things get worse." As he was talking, he put his right hand inside his coat, passing his long nails over objects stored inside it that clinked as one touched the other. "14, huh?" "But Father, I can help you too. Let me fight! I'll be use-" Before the voice could end up the sentence, the aura around Madara suddenly changed. He was the Boss. He gave the orders. Going against his will was the utmost sign of disrespect that someone of his own crew, and family, could do to him. That aura wasn't something that a member of his family would want to summon, specially Choza, a new addition to the Executives of the crew. "N-n-nevermind. I'm out." Choza changed his mind as quickly as possible. With his small wings and overall small stature, he left a pocket from Madara's coat; a butterfly, flying above the chaos of a future battlefield. Madara sighed. He thought if he was too harsh for a moment, but he certainly was right by his convictions. "Now..." He grabbed the grip of a gun that was hidden somewhere around his waist without taking it from its spot. "We wait." Jin watched with a for once serious expression at Scarface's ordeal with Nazar. "I knew something was off with that guy....then again, everyone here has some loose switches," he said, more to himself than to anyone. That wouldn't be the only unfortunate event to unleash as the Marines broke down the door, which causes Jin to fall with his chair and hit the hard ground. As he got up, trying to remove the dust from his suit, he gazed at several figures, some more powerful and recognizable than others but their intimidating aura could definitely be felt. "It's the po-po, everyone run!" he exclaimed, before realizing that nobody was paying attention to him. Pulling out a pair of seastone tonfas, Jin examined the area, trying to find any possible escape routes that could help later on. Juno was just smirking as the deal went downhill. With a slight smile on his face, he proceeded to talk, directing his words at Nazar. “I’m quite disappointed. In the underground, one’s words and reputation are even more important than the quality of your goods! At least that’s what I believe. This is dirtier than dirty business, even for the likes of Underworld brokers, it’s an insult.” He did not care wether he got heard or not. Just as he finished, he saw everyone on high alert and heard crashes and people entering the subway. “Now this, I do expect. I think I’ll stay for a while to see the big dogs in action.” As he said that, he was grabbing the golden cross around his neck, and proceeded to turn invisible, thanks to his “Suke Suke no Mi”. “Hehehe... I know how to play dirty too, eh? I’ll stay invisible and steal some goods and money while everyone is distracted.” Descending toward one of the exits where people were flocking to, Stella clenched her fist and spoke softly. "Hitsujigeki." Once she landed, a surprisingly soft descent as she touched ground, she struck into the ground with her fist, knuckles connecting with the floor. No damage was rendered to the ground itself. Yet, to the majority of people who were trying to escape down that route, they had been stopped dead in their tracks. Frozen in place, many began to collapse in pain, others losing consciousness altogether. What Stella had done was use a Haki strike that reverberated off the ground and passed into the organic bodies of any living beings within range of the vibration, causing significant internal devastation of a sufficient degree not to render any fatal blows but to knock them out. "You're all under arrest. Anybody who resists will answer to a sharp pillar-shaped rod shoved up into their anal cavity." she declared to all those who were still conscious, beginning her follow-through technique as she called out, "Torishu." A eruption of wave-like Haki was transmitted from her outstretched hand, causing a blanket of penetrative force to wash over those in front of her. "A pole... well, that might be a bit too much." Madara was too far from the woman to be affected direcly by her technique, but near enough to hear her words and feel the slight touch of Haki reverberating under his feet. Before taking any hasty action, a dark substance started to leak from the holes of his clothes, slowly covering his entire body in it. There was no longer indication of his true identity after being completely swallowed by it, leaving any indication of his humanity concealed, except for his own soul. Madara started to move, mingling with the environment as he had no longer a form to be perceived, passing through the remaining standing criminals as he looked for a way out. As the wave traveled a fair distance in every direction, Conor utilized his talents in Rokushiki, specifically to not only move away from the attack, but towards the nearest exit. "I'm new to this shit, why am I gettin' in trouble?!" Penning Your Fate Sophia felt the first shockwave of Haki was through her like a bad bought of vertigo. She took a moment to center herself, narrowing her eyes at the female in question. She tuned out the woman's words, they were just noise anyway. She defended against the second wave by internalizing her own Haki in a defensive maneuver. There were many other individuals were the female was, surely she wouldn't notice one straggler going a different way. Sophia turned on her heel and headed away from all of the commotion, towards a clearer exit. If she could get out of this without fighting, she would. Fighting would just draw unwanted attention to her, which would be the icing on the cake of exposure this auction turned out to be. Her hair retained its bright ruby shade, however. If you stay ready, you never have to get ready...Or something like that. Pencilio wouldn't let any further stragglers escape. Timing his own movements with Stella's Haki shockwave, he propelled himself as the woman with hair as bright as a ruby attempted to make her escape, and stopped her right at one of the exits. He took up a combat stance, and narrowed his gaze towards her. He analyzed her features, and called upon his photographic memory. "Ah...you are Hera of the Gothic Labors." Pencilio stated firmly, as his coated in body in a soft, malleable Busoshoku Haki. He had prepared for combat. Sophia looked him up and down slowly before letting a snarl curl her usually passive features "And you are a hindrance. And I loathe hindrances." She wound back her fist before punching forward, the appendage coated in a deep red aura that morphed and took the shape of a boar, following the path of her fist and launching outwards at Pencilio, aiming to skewer him on its tusks. Category:Role-Plays Category:Ash9876 Category:Shoshiki Category:DamonDraco Category:EmperorSigma